Bonds top Comal ISD board meeting talks

Published 4:33 pm, Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Bonds top Comal ISD board meeting talks

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

The Comal ISD Board of Trustees Aug. 15 began discussions regarding a recommendation for a $451 million bond package intended to meet projected enrollment growth, particularly at the middle and high school levels.

“Board members took a deep dive around the particular components of the citizens' committee recommendation,” said David Drastata, president of the school board. “This includes the taxing implications, the timing implications on the issuance of the bonds, and timelines as to when the projects would take place.”

A citizens' Long-Range Facilities Planning (LRFP) Committee, after meeting weekly throughout the summer, presented the recommendation to the school board at an Aug. 8 workshop. A special meeting is planned for Monday at 6 p.m. for the board to consider calling a Nov. 5 bond election.

The bond package recommendation includes two new high schools, two new middle schools, new elementary schools or a third middle school and district-wide improvements that affect all students including technology, safety and security, capital projects, transportation and land acquisition.

“We clearly must move forward to address our immediate needs in the (Highway) 281 corridor in terms of a middle school and a high school because of the tremendous growth in the Kinder Ranch and Indian Springs areas in northwestern Bexar County,” Drastata said. “And the board clearly sees a need in the Garden Ridge area over the next five to seven years as well for a middle and high school.”

He explained the debt tax rate is affected by several factors, including property values, interest rates, current debt amortization, potential existing debt refunding, timing of new debt and tax collection percentages.

“It is important that we make clear the future debt (bond sales) would be incurred by the district when demographics and enrollment growth justify and support the need,” he said.

Preliminary property values are up 3.5 percent over last year, Andersen noted, adding that the Bexar County tax appraisal district reported to him that some 1,000 new homes, reflecting $250 million in taxable value, have been built in that area of the district over the past year.

Andersen also talked about the district's outstanding debt, noting that since 2004 the combined savings on debt service through refunding and restructuring totals $55.3 million, about 10 percent.

Andersen emphasized the impact of the 20 percent optional homestead exemption. Comal ISD is one of only a handful of districts in the state that offer this exemption, in addition to the $15,000 exemption offered by the state.

“The 20 percent optional homestead exemption provides homeowners the equivalent of $33 in savings from total taxes collected on the average taxable value home in our district,” he said.

Andersen also noted that for taxpayers 65 and older, the school property tax amount is fixed under a tax ceiling regardless of the increase in property value. “The net result would be a decrease in your tax rate as property values rise,” he said.

The growth of Bill Brown Elementary School, 20410 Highway 46 West in Spring Branch, brought board members to a consensus to consider “a wider net of managing elementary student growth.” Increased traffic, as well as planned retail development surrounding the school have brought up residents' concerns and requests to replace the campus at the intersection of State Highway 46 and U.S. Highway 281. “The board is going to pursue a replacement campus for Bill Brown as an option, not a commitment,” Drastata said.